He asks all the customers that. But not all customers walk in with a balloon that says "Congratulations," as we did. We were there to let Yogurtland know that its plain tart yogurt won our taste test, the result of this summer's Nola.com/Times-Picayune frozen yogurt competition.

Readers nominated their favorite frozen yogurt shops, and the ones with the most nominations were included in a poll. More than 1,500 votes were cast.

Yogurtland was the clear winner. So there we were, on Thursday, in the self-serve store with clean lines, green glass tiles and 16 flavors of yogurt at any one time.

Plus: Toppings. Lots of toppings. The array ranges from big fresh blackberries and other chopped fresh fruit to "strawberry popping boba," the big tapioca bubbles found in bubble teas. Sweetened condensed milk is offered in a squeeze bottle. Nuts, chocolate mixes and lots of candy, especially chopped chocolate candy bars. Gummi bears are the most popular topping.

Chris Puckett arrived soon after he got the news that Yogurtland won the taste test. With his family, he owns the four Yogurtland franchises in Louisiana, including two in Baton Rouge and one in Lafayette, as well as this one. The first opened in February 2011, in Baton Rouge.

"I wanted to open in New Orleans first, but here it's all about the location. And parking," Puckett said. "You have to have parking."

Originally from North Carolina, Puckett has family here and came to Tulane University, where he earned a master's in business administration. He was in real estate development before he decided to try "something completely new and different, something that could weather the economy. And I love food and was drawn to it."

He investigated frozen yogurt in California, and once spent 12 hours driving around Houston with his brother-in-law to different yogurt stores there.

"I must have eaten eight pounds of yogurt that day," he said.

Yogurtland has its own dairy, and proprietary blends. Unlike frozen yogurt made from dry mixes, theirs is shipped from the yogurt factory to stores, and then poured into machines that freeze and aerate it, as an ice cream machine does.

He loves the frozen yogurt business, Puckett said, because "I deal with happy people all day." He also enjoys checking out the competition, and said that all the other yogurts in town that he's tried have their positive attributes.

Yogurtland's Chris Puckett talks about winning yogurt wars competitionYogurtland's Chris Puckett, who owns four franchise locations in Louisiana, including the one on Prytania, says he decided to invest in Yogurtland because it has its own dairy and proprietary blends. Unlike frozen yogurt made from dry mixes, theirs is frozen in jugs at the factory, shipped and then poured into machines that freeze and aerate them. Yogurtland won a taste test by the Times-Picayune based on reader nominations and votes.

"We know we have our fans," he said of the contest. "They absolutely support us."

All the finalists subscribe to the modern taste preference for tangy frozen yogurt that began in the mid-2000s, in comparison to the franchise frozen yogurts popular in the 1980s: TCBY and I Can't Believe It's Yogurt. Those yogurts were sweetened to resemble soft-serve ice cream and, by some accounts, contained little yogurt.

Today's yogurts have a strong Korean connection, although the biggest franchise stores began in the United States in the mid-2000s. Early recipes for making the treat at home even call it "Korean Frozen Yogurt."

Two Korean business partners opened the first Pinkberry in West Hollywood in 2005, and were inundated with customers. Red Mango opened in the Los Angeles area, too, under Dan Kim. Original flavors were tart, and green tea.

"There's lots of Asian influence," Puckett said. "Philip Chang, the president and CEO of Yogurtland, is Korean." Yogurtland was founded in Fullerton, Calif., in 2006.

From the beginning, today's frozen yogurt stores have offered lots of toppings, including fresh fruit, nuts, coconut, children's sweetened cereals such as Cap'n Crunch and Fruity Pebbles and all kinds of candies, such as chopped Twix and Reese's Pieces. The Asian influence is seen here in mochi (Japanese sticky rice), red bean and lychee. Flavors at Yogurtland include the matcha green tea, lychee tart and dragon passion tart, along with red velvet cupcake batter, oatmeal cookies and blueberry mojito, to name a few.

Modern frozen yogurts have a tangy, almost sour flavor that relates them directly to familiar supermarket yogurts. Yogurt is fermented (like wine, cheese and beer), and the process creates lactic acid from the milk sugars, which accounts for the taste. In addition, some of the yogurt-base-makers add citric acid.

Yogurt also carries with it a health association, but consumers should be aware that at self-serve yogurt parlors, they may be getting much more than the 1/2 cup that's the standard serving size in nutrition listings. Some offer nonfat choices, and some meet the National Yogurt Association criteria for live and active cultures.

According to the yogurt association's website, researchers are studying potential attributes, including boosting the immune system, preventing gastrointestinal infections and osteoporosis, and fighting certain types of cancer. Mad Swirls and Pure Yogurt Culture have their own kid-friendly and local-friendly flavors. Mad Swirls has bananas Foster and king cake in its roster of 50 flavors; Pure Yogurt has a purple Who Dat flavor made with taro, a starchy root eaten in Asian cultures. Here, we know taro for its broad tropical leaf and invasive qualities in landscapes. Its common name is elephant ear.

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When David Lebovitz's ice cream opus, "The Perfect Scoop," was written in 2007, his recipe for frozen yogurt called for strained or Greek-style yogurt. Greek yogurt has become ubiquitous since then.

It's important to use a good-quality whole-milk yogurt for best results. After you make it once, use more or less sugar, or another sweetener, to taste. Some adherents to this recipe note that you should powder the sugar in a food processor for an even creamier texture.

Vanilla Frozen Yogurt

Makes about 1 quart

3 cups Greek-style yogurt

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Mix together the yogurt, sugar, and vanilla (if using). Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Refrigerate 1 hour.

Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

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This recipe is from "Down Home with the Neelys," the Food Network show with Memphis restaurateurs Patrick and Gina Neely.

Blueberry Frozen Yogurt

Makes 1 quart

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

One 12-ounce bag (1-1/2 cups) frozen blueberries, thawed

Juice of 1/2 lemon

2 cups plain whole-milk Greek yogurt, chilled

Add the sugar, vanilla, blueberries and lemon juice to a saucepan over medium heat and stir well. Press the berries with the back of a wooden spoon so they burst. When the sugar has dissolved, remove from the heat. Let cool, then refrigerate until well chilled, about 2 hours.

Add the chilled berry mixture to a food processor. Pulse until smooth, then add the yogurt and continue to blend until completely mixed.

Turn ice cream machine on and pour in the yogurt mixture. Churn until the mixture looks slushy, like soft serve, 12 to 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for several hours until it's scoopable.

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Sunset magazine published this recipe in 2009 and notes, again, to look for the best-quality yogurt. They specify a yogurt without additives.

Since this recipe uses nonfat yogurt, it's lower in calories and fat than the ones made with Greek whole-milk yogurt.

Tart 'n' Tangy Fro-Yo

Makes 4 to 5 cups

32 ounces (about 4 cups) plain nonfat yogurt

2/3 cup lemon curd

In a medium bowl, whisk together yogurt and lemon curd.

Spoon mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's directions. Transfer yogurt to a container and freeze until firm, about 3-1/2 hours.

Make ahead: Freeze up to 1 week. Let soften at room temperature about 45 minutes before scooping, or microwave a few seconds until softened.